Saphire's Fabric
by Mari92
Summary: Naruto closed his eyes and breathed slowly to calm his frantically beating heart. When his eyes opened he glanced at corner cabinet that held his precious treasures. 'Not yet. I'm not ready yet.'


**Saphire's Fabric**

The Fire kingdom was a special place in the five nations, not because of their seemingly lush nature and warm weather nor even for their famous forests, but actually because of the double royal family that resided there. The land was split into two because of the great Senju forest, that's why there could exist a west and east kingdom of the Fire nation. To the West there was the Uchiha and to the East there was the Hyuuga, both families being a force to reckon with.

The Senju forest acted as the line between these two families and right down in the middle of this line laid the city of Konohagakure, the hidden village of the leaves. The city was literally hidden inside the forest as no path stayed the same. Konoha became neutral ground between the royals and a trading city between the kingdoms.

In Konoha there was a small shop that contained a very special tailor, who could fashion almost anything of any type of fabric be it cashmere, silk, wool or cotton. Everyone called his shop Sapphire's Fabric and the tailor found it funny when he was told it was because of his unusual blue eyes. In this region most people had black/brown or white/purple eyes, so someone with the tailors colors was a sensation to the population.

The owner of this shop was Uzumaki Naruto a sixteen going on seventeen year old boy and he loved his job even if it didn't pay as much as he would like. It was no secret that the boy was poor because of all the fabric and equipment he needed to buy as soon as he got his clients money. He earned just enough so that his customers were happy and came back for new dresses, shirts or coats. Naruto already had a large circle of regulars but they were just peasants most of them and they couldn't afford a lot. That's why Naruto sometimes charged food instead for some people who he knew did not have enough silver to pay for his wares, this had the positive reaction that his reputation was good and he didn't have to hunt for food all the time.

Today Uzumaki Naruto walked down the streets of Konoha with his arms carrying three big rolls of fabric that almost hid his face from view, if anyone was observing him they would be impressed by how he dodged every carriage and food stands while not seeing anything in front of him. You could see his long blond hair swish back and forth as he moved and if you would look closer you could almost see his tan colored skin beneath his white shirt and grey colored vest. His trousers being of the very same grey as his vest and he wore no shoes whatsoever on the sandy road towards his shop. As soon as he entered the Sapphire's Fabric he dumped the fabric on his work table with a huff and went for his small cabinet in the corner where he stored his most precious things. One being a necklace with a blue-green prism on a black leather cord and another being an old leather journal. He sighed a sad sigh as he gazed at the two items, his gaze lingering on the necklace.

'_No, not yet. I'm not ready yet._' Naruto thought anxiously as he laid the items back into the cabinet.

It had already been three and a half years since he overtook the shop from the old man. Naruto didn't remember the old mans name as he had always called the old man, just that what he was an old man. He would always remember the kindness of the old man that had found him hiding in a hallow tree and offered him shelter in his shop. Of course Naruto had refused charity and told the man that he would work for him in exchange for food and shelter. Naruto still thought the man had just humored him, as the man had later given him his sellers permit and said he would retire to his hometown somewhere beyond the great whirlpools to the north-east.

Three years since the old man retired and now Naruto had a shop, a home above it and he had earned his living honestly ever since. He remembered the six months that he was taught all that was needed to be a tailor and how surprised the old man was at his talent with the needle. Maybe it was then that the old man had decided to give Naruto his shop? Well he would never know if he never met the old man again. It was with this last thought that he fell asleep on his small bed above the shop.

oOo

Waking up to the roosters call every single morning was usually not as disturbing as it was today and if Naruto could just find out whose rooster it was that had build a nest this close to his shop he would bargain to eat it. Honestly, this rooster must be croaking right next to his window as loud as it was.

Naruto groaned as the rooster croaked higher and higher, it was almost like one of those alarm clocks that would be created in the future but no snooze button.  
"Alright, alright I'm up! I'm up!" Naruto muttered groggily as he rose from his highly comfortable and warm bed to begin a fire to heat up his small room. There was no way he would go down in only a nightshirt and absolutely not this early in the morning.

When the fire in the hearth began to be stable enough, Naruto put the heavy iron cauldron filled to the brim with water on the iron hook and guided them to be right over the fire. He also brought fort a small kettle with three legs to boil some tea water. The big and heavy cauldron was to boil bath water as Naruto felt he should take his Saturday bath now because of all the running he had to do yesterday. While those were set to boil, Naruto searched through his cupboards and cabinets for some leftover bread and if he had some ham or cheese. It would have been nice if he had some jam but it was not that time of year unfortunately.

The tea water was ready by the time he had made a couple of sandwiches and he sat down to brew some of his nice green tea. The old man had left it here, said it was a cultural gift. Whatever that means...

'_The bath water should be ready soon..._' Naruto guessed by the sound of the almost boiling water. Naruto could not remember when he had bathed with hot water last and honestly he didn't care that much either. Although he was in great need for a bath, for his feet were caked with grey sand and some parts of his hair had sand in it too. Seriously, having long hair was more of a bother than as the dirt seemed to thrive in his waist length hair and he couldn't wash his hair as often as he should either because of the wood cost. He lived almost in the center of Konoha so he had surprisingly no easy access to wood as you would think as the city laid in the middle of it. He had to pay for someone to cut and fetch him wood, which was actually his highest monetary issue. Naruto would need some high ranking customers soon if he didn't want to freeze this coming winter. Besides buying the fabrics, creating the decors, the threads and sometimes fur, the firewood was the thing that he almost couldn't afford.

As Naruto bathed, he could hear his door giving a 'ding ding' alerting him that someone had entered his shop. "It is probably only Ayame-neechan" Naruto thought and continued to wash his bothersome hair, which right now shone like the golden sun.

"Hello? Is this where a Uzumaki Naruto lives?" Came a unfamiliar yell from downstairs. Naruto froze for just a second before he hurriedly finished washing himself before dressing in his usual assemble of a lose white shirt and grey vest and slacks.

"Wait a moment!" Yelled Naruto just as he finished with braiding his hair into a thick rope. Then he slowly walked down the stairs to encounter what could only possible be a royal guard from one of the ruling families. But which one? They had different traditions and etiquette, it wouldn't do to disrespect a guard as he himself was just a peasant in the royals eyes. This guard was dressed in all black, his brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and the man had a scar across his nose. Maybe he was from the Uchiha, it was they who had all black wasn't it? Naruto tried hard to remember. The Hyuuga favored white clothes while the Uchiha black or dark blue... So the man was an Uchiha guard.

"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" Asked the guard stern but calmly.

"Yes and who are you?" Naruto wondered as he put his counter between him and the guard. He wouldn't put it past the guard to do something untoward him. He had already been attacked by guards a couple of times this year, so it wasn't to unrealistic to put some kind of buffer between him and the suspiciously calm guard.

The guard looked surprised before answering; "I am Umino Iruka, second in command of the royal guard of the Uchiha. I'm here by the order of the prince to fetch him the best tailor Konoha could offer, in order to tailor him a whole new wardrobe for this coming season."

Naruto didn't know if he should feel elated that someone appreciated his hard work or if he should be angry over the fact that the man before him had lied. If he had been anyone else he wouldn't have spotted it but as it was a second in command of the royal guard who had entered his shop for such a menial task as to order his services. No, something was amiss here. The guard was not here for clothes at least that was for sure.

"Excuse me, Umino-san but the winter court season has already started and the summer season is far away yet. What is your real errand here?"

The brown haired man sighed heavily before straighting his back.  
"Prince Uchiha Sasuke-sama has requested you to be his bride. I'm ordered to bring you to him with or without force, could you please follow me to the carriage?" Pleaded the man and Naruto was actually considering to follow with the man for just moment before saying; "No."

"Uzumaki-san?"

"No, I'll not be the prince's bride. If he can't even propose in person himself then I'll not even consider a marriage. So, forget it! Umino-san I have customers, please leave." Said Naruto before going to his work table and continuing yesterdays work that hadn't been finished.

The man Umino Iruka must be new to his post because otherwise he wouldn't have allowed Naruto to talk so freely as he had just done. Umino-san left his shop in silence and Naruto hoped that the man would not be back with reinforcement or with the prince himself. That would cause a scene that Naruto did not feel comfortable of making.

Naruto closed his eyes and breathed slowly to calm his frantically beating heart. When his eyes opened he glanced at corner cabinet that held his precious treasures. '_Not yet. I'm not ready yet._'

* * *

**Uchiha Castle, the West Fire kingdom.**

Uchiha castle had a certain originality as it was completely made of stone and was in the shape of a pentagon, with five towers. The stone was black as ebony and cast a intimidating picture those who were the enemies of the royals, but represented comfort and protection to those who were allies. This was the home of the royal Uchiha clan.

In the middle of the pentagon was the largest tower and in it resided the ruling king and queen and their sons. Even though the youngest prince had requested to move out and live in his own castle, closer to the Senju forest. Uchiha Sasuke owned the land where the forest started and all the way to the White tower between his and his father the king's estate. The youngest prince castle was not in the shape of a pentagon like the rest of the Uchiha buildings, his was in the shape of a giant circle in the shape of a whirl inside the outer edges.

Today, however the youngest prince was staying with his parents for the winter court season and he waited for his messenger to get back. He was pacing back and forth in his study when finally Umino Iruka, his second in command officer entered. Sasuke glanced briefly in his direction before he settled himself behind the dark oak desk he owned.

"Well?" He burst out after a few minutes of silence. "What did he say?"

Umino-san fidgeted where he stood by the door and swallowed a couple of times before he courageously said; "He said 'No'."

A moment of deadly silence before a quiet but dangerous voice asked; "He said, _what?_"

Umino swallowed down his nervously before repeating and elaborating; "He said 'No'. That he wouldn't even consider a marriage with you if you didn't even propose in person."  
Iruka didn't know what he expected but he didn't expect for the young prince to burst into a heartfelt laughter.

"So he is playing that game, heh? I guess that means I really do have to chase him if I want him. Just you wait, I'll do as you request. I'll chase you and when I find you, you can't run away anymore." The young prince said with a glint in his eye as he looked out the window.

"After all, it's a promise and you don't go back on your word. Ne, _Naruto?_"

* * *

**AN: This is sort of a fan-fanfiction. Atleast it's a fanfiction of another fanfiction fic and if this bothers you, then I would like to inform you that this is what we do on this site. We _authors _don't own anything except our own original characters. No one can claim a theme, a genre or original characters from the original story which we _borrow_ them from to write our stories.**

**I don't claim to own anything I upload on this site as this is a fanfiction site, so... Well my work is fan based you could say.**

**Hope you liked it!  
**


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